Types of Animation

Traditional Animation

• also called cel or celluloid animation

• individual frames are drawn by hand

• the animator draws the characters, layout and backgrounds on transparent plastic called "cels"

• each drawing in the animation is slightly different than the one before it--shows the subtle change in movement

• these images are usually drawn on a light table so that the artist is able to see the previous drawing

• the illusion of movement is created when these hand-drawn images are put into film

• Examples--Snow White and Seven Dwarfs (1937), Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942)

2D Animation

• stands for two-dimensional animation

• objects, characters, and backgrounds are created in a 2-D flat space

• the animation objects have width and height, but no thickness

• can be draw by hand or created using a computer

• two advantages: it is less expensive to produce and easy to access

• need a basic understanding of key frames

• Examples--Looney Tunes (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck), Classic Disney (Snow White, The Jungle Book), TV shows (The Simpsons, South Park)

3D Animation

• computer generated objects appear to move through space

• the objects can be moved and rotated, similar to how objects could be moved and rotated in real life

• involves digitally modeling and sculpting a character so that it can be moved and manipulated

• the animator creates keyframes or specific movements and lets the computer fill in the rest

• Examples--Toy Story, Avatar, How to Train your Dragon

Motion Graphics

• basically graphic design made video

• visual effect technique not driven by characters or storylines

• great way to explain a process, showcase a product, or explain dense subjects

• this style combines sound, text, charts, symbols, and animation

• Examples--Anatomy of a Computer Virus, Journey Alph, Haikus in Motion (access videos via this link: https://www.columnfivemedia.com/best-100-motion-graphic-examples)

Stop Motion

• similar to traditional animation because it shows movement through a series of slightly different still images

• the artists take a still photo, usually of an inaminate object or of a scene, then slightly moves the objects before taking another still photo

• the objects/scenes come to life when played with more speed

• stop motion can also be done with puppets, cut-outs, silhouettes and even action figures

• Examples--The Nightmare before Christmas, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Chicken Run